In the processes so far applied for the preparation of a resin composition for linoleum manufacture (the resin composition hereinafter to be referred to as linoleum cement; in the linoleum preparation it is also called Bedford cement, after the manner in which it is formed), use is made of one or more polyunsaturated oils, which are `dried` by air oxidation. Drying oils are understood to mean esters of natural fatty acids with polyvalent alcohols, in particular glycerol or pentarethritol. During or after drying, oils are mixed with a resin, in particular with colophonium, yielding the Bedford cement. This cement is mixed with fillers and pigments, following which the linoleum mix thus obtained is applied to a, mostly jute, substrate, usually with the aid of a twin roller mill. The product formed is cured at 60.degree.-80.degree. C. for a number of weeks (see, e.g., Ullmann, Encyklopadie der technischen Chemie, Band 12 (1976), p. 24 ff. and Encycl. of Pol. Sci. and Techn. Vol. 1 (1964), p. 403 ff.).
The disadvantage of the customary process for preparing linoleum is the long time required for curing of the product, while this time depends on the thickness of the linoleum layer. Furthermore, intensive manual inspection is required to determine whether the desired hardness has been reached.
Shortening of the drying time has been investigated before, but none of the possible solutions suggested has found wide application (Encycl. of Pol. Sci. and Techn. Vol. 1 (1964), pp. 103/4).